Senate to Vote on Grain Inspection Privatization

The Senate Agriculture Committee is set to vote today on the privatization of grain inspections. The provision is part of the reauthorization of the U. S. Grain Standards Act (S. 1582), which originally established a standardized and uniform grain inspection system for both domestic and exported U.S. grains. According to BNA's Daily Report for Executives (subscription only), industry is divided on support of the measure, which may save the grain industry money but could also damage the credibility of U.S. grain inspections.

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Bush Decision to Waive Wage Protections Could Be Illegal

As many surely know by now, the White House decision to suspend its obligations under the Davis-Bacon Act to require a fair minimum wage for contractors working on the reconstruction and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will have a direct and drastically negative impact on many of the very victims of the hurricane. Some have noted the irony of this decision given that the hurricane's devastation was compounded by years of poverty and low-wages throughout the Gulf region.

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OMB and the Price of Gas

Astronomically high gas prices and possible post-Katrina price gouging are all over the news these days. So what does OMB have to do with the price of gas? Well, OMB has for some time been living in a fantasy land with regard to what we're paying at the pump. OMB puts out an annual report on the costs and benefits of regulations, and for the last several years the office has been using a low-ball estimate for the price per gallon of gas when calculating cost and benefit estimates. This year and last, OMB used an estimate of -- get this -- $1.10 to $1.30.

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Resolution to Reject Mercury Rule: Rejected

The Senate voted 47-51 to reject the CRA resolution of disapproval of the mercury rule. Look for a mercury hot spot in a poor community near you.

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Know What's In the Toxic Goop?

If you haven't seen it already, be sure to check out OMB Watch's page of environmental data on potential toxic sites in New Orleans, courtesy of OMB Watch's Information & Access department.

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Resolution to Reject Mercury Rule Proceeds

The Senate voted 92-0 yesterday to allow a floor vote for ">S. J. Res. 20, a joint resolution under the Congressional Review Act to reject EPA's mercury rule. A White House Statement of Administration Policy threatens a veto, but Congress Daily is reporting that the White House will probably not need to brandish its veto pen because the Senate is ultimately expected to defeat the CRA resolution when it finally comes to the floor today.

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Data Quality, Uncertainty, Precaution

The latest issue of Rachel's Environment & Health News reviews the Data Quality Act and concludes with this sharp observation:

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States, Consumer Groups Sue over Energy Savings Standards

The Department of Energy has failed to revise energy savings standards for home appliances, prompting 15 states and New York City to file suit. In the 1990s, Congress instructed DOE to develop performance criteria for household appliances and to periodically update those standards. However, deadlines for updating the energy savings standards of 22 different home appliances expired six to 13 years ago, costing consumers billions of dollars, according to Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, a plaintiff in the suit.

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Bush Suspends Minimum Pay for Contract Workers

The White House announced that it is suspending its obligations under the Davis-Bacon Act to require a fair minimum wage for contractors working on the reconstruction and recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

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Americans Demand Focus on Domestic Policy

USA Today is reporting the results of the latest Pew poll, in which a majority expresses its desire for a renewed focus on domestic policy: More than half of Americans now say it is more important for the president to focus on domestic policy — the first time since Sept. 11, 2001 that domestic matters have been viewed as a higher priority than the war on terrorism in polling by the Pew Research Center. Two-thirds said the president could have done more to get relief efforts going quickly, according to the survey.

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